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