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