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