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