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