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