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