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