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