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