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