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