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