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