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