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