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