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