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