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