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