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