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