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