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