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