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