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