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