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