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