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