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