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