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