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