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