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