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