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