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