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