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