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