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