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