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