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