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