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