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