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