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