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