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