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