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