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