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