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