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