%*«^.¨..¨. .¨..¨.^«*%
/=~¨..,.¨. .¨.,..¨~=/
-~¨,,..¨,. .,¨..,,¨~-
^..,¨¨,¨,. .,¨,¨¨,..^
.¨¨,,¨..,. .,..¨,,¨¨.
,.,¨,¨,¨.. 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 ¨.,...-=§£
#$§/=,..¨. throw it away. .¨..,=/§$#
#@£%/-^¨¨. .¨¨^-/%£@#
#@@£%*~..¨ ¨..~*%£@@#
##@¶&§^=.. ..=^§&¶@##
##@%^:-~,¨ ¨,~-:^%@##
@#§%^~-.¨¨ ¨¨.-~^%§#@
£*^:»,,¨,¨ ¨,¨,,»:^*£