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