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