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