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