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