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