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