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