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