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