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