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