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