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