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