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