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