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