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