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