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