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