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