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