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