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