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