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