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