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