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