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