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