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