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