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