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