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