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