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