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