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