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