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