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