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