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