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