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