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