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