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