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