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