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