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