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