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