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