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