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