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