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