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