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