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