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