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