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