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