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