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