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