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