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