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