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