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