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