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