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