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