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