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