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