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