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