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