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