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