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