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