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