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