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