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