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