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