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