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