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