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