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