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