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