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