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