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