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