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