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