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