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