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