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