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