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