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