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