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