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