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