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