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