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