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