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