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