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