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