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