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