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