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