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