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