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