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