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