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