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