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