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