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