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