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