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