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