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