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