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