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