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