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