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