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