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