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