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