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