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