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