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