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