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