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