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