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