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