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