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