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