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