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