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