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