£@,,..,§&# £¨.§,,.¤#¨
£&¤,...#.£ ,§,¨£¨,§&.
@¨¤&..,¨,# ..£..§¨&&,
..@&¤,.,,§ §.¨&¨..£¤¨
.¨¤¨#§,¨,. ¨@,,£,¨££@
#.,,@££.,. 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. .,,,¤,,#..
.,¨#.#&,¨. #.,.¨@¨¨#¨
¨¨.¨.§§#., .@.¨,¨#¨,#
§¨,¨¨&,#£¨ .,@,.,,£¨.
,§,¨,,.¤@@ .,.&¨.,¨#.
¨,#,.,,&¨# ,¨,.§..,.¤
§,.£,,.,,§ #,.¨,&..¨¨