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