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