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