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