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