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