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