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