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