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