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