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