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