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