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