«,...¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨...,«
/~,¨.,..,. .,..,.¨,~/
†\~,,...,. .,...,,~\†
%^;=,¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨,=;^%
¤¤*/~-¨¨,, ,,¨¨-~/*¤¤
#¤§§:»^,,¨ 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. ¨¨,,,¨:===
*=:¨.,.... ....,.¨:=*
-,,¨,¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨,¨,,-
,..¨.¨¨,,¨ ¨,,¨¨.¨..,
,,..¨.,.,, ,,.,.¨..,,
¨¨,,,,.,¨. .¨,.,,,,¨¨
..¨¨,..,.. ..,..,¨¨..