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