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