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