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