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