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