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