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