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