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