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