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