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