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