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