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