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