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