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