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