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