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