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