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