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