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