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