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