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