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