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