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