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