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