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