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