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