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