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