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