#,..£.¨¤£¤ @#¨&&#,¨¤.
&£¨¨&#,¤.¨ ¤¨¤£,¨£¨&§
¨,#.£¨§¤#, §££,&,@&§.
¨¨@&¤#£¨¨¤ ¨,¨£@£&..§
&.#..,.&,£ ,¨.@,,¨@.£
¨##£,,,§§@ statuette .¨.£@,¨#@#
@§,,#,¨£¨. §¨,§.&¨#,.
¤,#.#¤,§@. %§££&%£¤£*&*@£££=«~=»»~=$%&$§££%*%$&¤@*& .@,§@£¤¤&.
¤¤¤£§¨&£,¤ %§£*¤£§&* £&@#..,,.&
,,..¨##,§# §¨..&¨,¨,§
¤..¨.£,££. forests around my childhood home. thick ,&,.&¤,,.#
,&,¨¨¤@@¨# pine arcades that were planted and £¤¤.§,§¨¨@
#&£¨¨#.¨£§ forgotten. wild boars roaming ,.¨&@¤@¤¨£
¨,.§¨§§¨&, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @,.@.,¨,¤#
#,¨¤£#,£&£ is dark and moist, the canopy having @£,&&...@,
&¤,&..§¤., already soaked up all the sun. #,&#,#.¨&¤
.,£§¤.§¨&, ,§&,&#&,@¨
¨.&,¨##¤&@ there's a river passing by, from east ¤@,¤£..#@&
¤,£@,&,... to west, getting broader and deeper and ¨¨@&,@¨&¨,
&@@.@#&¨¨. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just .¨§,§§&£@.
@¨,£&.,#,, where the pine hands start to let .,@§@.¨.¨&
.#.@.§.§@. through light, horsemint on the rocky .¨#.¨£,,,#
#£@¤@£@#.£ river bed. ¨.@¤.&£¨.§
¨¨,.¨¨¨.¤£ ¤.&.@¤.@¨&
£.¨...¨¨@, † @§¤§&¨£§@#
,&......## .,,¨.@£¨¨¨
¨&#¨¨.¨.#. the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight &.¨,¨#.§¨¨
,¤.#.¨¨.£& they had been a swampworld with sylvan ,@,¨¨&£§&,
¨¤&&&..,¤, water, stone rings and floating moss. ¨&£,.§.,¨§
¤£,,¨@.¨#& you could've found me wallowing around &&.&.@@.,¤
¨¨#¨¨&&,#¨ on the southern shores until i got .¨¤££§¨@,£
#.#&,&¨££# bitten. ,¨§..¨&#¤#
,§¤¨§¤§§.¨ £¨§§¨¨@¨,.
¨@¨@#¨..¤, but now i'm further back, on solid ¨&#.¤¨##¨¨
.#£¤,£¨.@# ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an .£¨&££¤¨¤.
¨¤¨¨¤¤§¨§. orange tin radio and a translucent ¤&¤¤,.¨@¤£
#§¤,¤..#&# umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¤¨.¨§.¨§¨.
¤,.£@£¨@., ¨¤..#&¨@§,
#£.£,,#&¤¨ ; ¨§§.#¨§&.#
¨.@#§.#.¨# §@,£@¤&,¤¤
¤.#..@££.¤ somethings moving in the grass. it's ..§¤,,.&§,
#££@¨¤..¤¤ invisible to my eyes but i can feel ¨.£,£.,§.¤
,,,.#£#¨¤, through the ground just how large it is. ¤¨&##£.§¤§
¤.,,£¨.&## .#¤¨,,£#.¨
§@,¨£@.£¨. the soil is muddy. i slip when trying @@¨§¨.#,§¨
&.&¨¤,&£@. to get up, still looking at the £.&&¤.§££¤
.§#£#§£¨,# direction of sound rather than at my &§§,,#@¨¨¨
,§.¨..¨£¨# hands, who are busy putting things in ,,¨£,@,&.¨
.¤&,¨.¨@@@ my pockets. §¨¨¤@£@£&.
,§¨§¨.¨£¨. &@,#..,¨¨§
#@£&§,¨£#. then i run east toward my home. ¨.£#¤¨¨¨.§
,¨,,¨#¨@¨& .,@,¨@.,.§
&.,.,££¤¤@ * #,£#.£¤.¨&
.¤¨.¨¤,¨.¨ .£#.¤§,§.#
£¤&..§&,., i am not followed, and slow down in the .§¨@¤.@§#@
.,,¤¨@,£¨¨ clearing where you at first can spot £¤@@,&£¨¨¨
...@&@@££, the house, not yet really in the §...@§.¤¨¨
¨¨.¤.,¨¨.§ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my £&¨,&.@§&,
..¨&#¨.¨,¤ radio (now dented) but also a small .,§,§¤£,.&
¤¨,&,§,¨.@ clay figure i've never seen before. it @.¤£¤¨.&¨¤
.#,#@@@,¨@ must have been laying in the wet dirt, £¤§,.@,@@§
§£§&.,,#.& and i must've picked it up with my #,.§.&@§,¨
§...&.,¤¤# other belongings. #¤¨&@&..£,
&@.¨¤§.#¨. ¤,@£¨,#,§§
¨.#.@¨#¤@. it's a statuette of a girl laying naked #&&,#.#¤#,
.¨@#£&§.¨@ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¨¨¨§@#§.,&
£.§¨¨..&¨£ roughly seven centimeters long. it's ,,.§¨.,¤¨¤
¨@&@¨¨.@@£ freshly made, not yet completely dried. .,¨¤¤.,§@¤
£@.,§..#,¨ ¤..§¨&¨&..
§,¤.#§.&¤. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .#.@@¤£#@,
§&&£&.¤§¨§ particle board for it to dry on, but §§#§...¨¨#
...¨,§@,&¤ she is worried and wants me to &,.¨£.,,¨§
#,.¨.@¨##, throw it away. .&¨¨#&,,¨¤
,¤.,,§£#¨& @@¤¨#,#,,@
#£§,¨@¨.¤£ ,¨.££££#¨&
¨..#,&@¨£. §,,&,¨,¨@&
#¨.@@#¨#@£ @@¨§£..,§,
#£,§,¨@&¨, §.¤&¨¤,¨@£
.,@¤&,¤,¤, ,£@¨¤#¤,@¨