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