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