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