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