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