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