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