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