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