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