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