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