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