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