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