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