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