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