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