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