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