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