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