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