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