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