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