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