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