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