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