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