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