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