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