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