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