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