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