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