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