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