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