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