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