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