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