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