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