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