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