*%†«^.¨... ...¨.^«†%*
&£$=~~¨¨., ,.¨¨~~=$£&
@@¤%*~:,., ,.,:~*%¤@@
#£&%%:«~.. ..~«:%%&£#
#@@@%%:=^, ,^=:%%@@@#
#@#$%\«:.. statuette ..:«\%$#@#
@¤£†=»-.., ,..-»=†£¤@
&*$=~,,... %$££%$£%$¤$%&$¤$=»~»»«=-£&%%%£&¤$§@@$$§@ ...,,~=$*&
£†^«~,...¨ £$¤£@£$$$ ¨...,~«^†£
^^~,¨,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,¨,~^^
/~~,¨¨.¨¨. 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. ¨¨.,,.,.¨,
¨...,¨¨.., ,..¨¨,...¨
-¨,...,.,¨ ¨,.,...,¨-
»^,¨¨..¨¨. .¨¨..¨¨,^»
†=.,¨¨¨,,. .,,¨¨¨,.=†
§/»,.¨¨¨,, ,,¨¨¨.,»/§
§%;-~,,,,¨ ¨,,,,~-;%§