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