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