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