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