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