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