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