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