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