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