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