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