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