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