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