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