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