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