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