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