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