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