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