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