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