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