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