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