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