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