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