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