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