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