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