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