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