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