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