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