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