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