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