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