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