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