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