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