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