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