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