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