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