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