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