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