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