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