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