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