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