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