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