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