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