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