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