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