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