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