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