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