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