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