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