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