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