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