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