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