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