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