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