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