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