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