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