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