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