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