,.,,,¨,.,, ,,.,¨,,,.,
.,.,.,.,¨, ,¨,.,.,.,.
,¨.,¨.,¨^» »^¨,.¨,.¨,
¨¨¨¨.¨.:«; ;«:.¨.¨¨¨¨
¨.,¨.,,~;§ §;~,,.¨,.¨
,.¨¨..=/$% statuette %$/=..¨¨.,
.,.¨,-=%$# #$%=-,¨.,.
¨¨,^-=$%#@ $&&$@£££££¤§§%£$~~»~»=«~¤@$$$%$£@@£&$§$* @#%$=-^,¨¨
.,,~**@§@# %%*@%@££& #@§@**~,,.
¨,»^=££@## ##@££=^»,¨
.¨~»;=@@¶# forests around my childhood home. thick #¶@@=;»~¨.
...^=\=£#¶ pine arcades that were planted and ¶#£=\=^...
,.,¨:«/%$§ forgotten. wild boars roaming §$%/«:¨,.,
¨,.,.,==§% underneath, sniffing at the ground. it %§==,.,.,¨
¨.,,,.~«;= is dark and moist, the canopy having =;«~.,,,.¨
.,,¨¨.,~«† already soaked up all the sun. †«~,.¨¨,,.
.¨¨.¨..¨:~ ~:¨..¨.¨¨.
,¨,..¨,¨¨, there's a river passing by, from east ,¨¨,¨..,¨,
¨¨.¨.¨¨¨., to west, getting broader and deeper and ,.¨¨¨.¨.¨¨
¨,¨¨,,..,¨ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¨,..,,¨¨,¨
..,¨,,¨¨,¨ where the pine hands start to let ¨,¨¨,,¨,..
¨¨¨.¨¨,¨¨, through light, horsemint on the rocky ,¨¨,¨¨.¨¨¨
.¨¨,,.¨.¨¨ river bed. ¨¨.¨.,,¨¨.
¨,..,.,¨,, ,,¨,.,..,¨
..¨,.,.,,, * ,,,.,.,¨..
¨¨,,¨,,¨.~ ~.¨,,¨,,¨¨
¨,,¨...¨:= the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight =:¨...¨,,¨
¨¨,,¨,¨.-^ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ^-.¨,¨,,¨¨
,,,.,.,»=% water, stone rings and floating moss. %=»,.,.,,,
,.,.,^«*$$ 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 #¶£$%/~.,,
,-»;=£¤£## backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ##£¤£=;»-,
¨.-«;=*¤¶@ radio (now dented) but also a small @¶¤*=;«-.¨
¨¨¨--^†%@@ clay figure i've never seen before. it @@%†^--¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~\†*£ must have been laying in the wet dirt, £*†\~~¨¨¨¨
.,¨¨¨,=:*£ and i must've picked it up with my £*:=,¨¨¨,.
.¨¨.,¨~-\% other belongings. %\-~¨,.¨¨.
¨.,¨...~«† †«~...¨,.¨
.,¨,¨...^~ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ~^...¨,¨,.
,¨.¨¨.,..~ on her stomach, feet in the air, ~..,.¨¨.¨,
,¨,¨,,¨¨., roughly seven centimeters long. it's ,.¨¨,,¨,¨,
,¨¨,,¨,¨,, freshly made, not yet completely dried. ,,¨,¨,,¨¨,
.,,..,¨,,, ,,,¨,..,,.
..,,¨,¨.,. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .,.¨,¨,,..
,¨,,¨.,,., particle board for it to dry on, but ,.,,.¨,,¨,
,¨,¨,¨,.¨, she is worried and wants me to ,¨.,¨,¨,¨,
.¨,,¨¨,,¨. throw it away. .¨,,¨¨,,¨.
.¨,,¨¨,.,- -,.,¨¨,,¨.
¨¨,,..¨¨^= =^¨¨..,,¨¨
.,,,,.,:~/ /~:,.,,,,.
,,..¨,:»*% %*»:,¨..,,
,...¨~~\%& &%\~~¨...,
,¨.¨,~†^$@ @$^†~,¨.¨,