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