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