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