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