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