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