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