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