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