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