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