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