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