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