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