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