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