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