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