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