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