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