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