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