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