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