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