¨.,,¨,¨.., ,..¨,¨,,.¨
.¨..¨¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨¨..¨.
,¨,,¨.¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨.¨,,¨,
¨.¨¨.¨.,¨, ,¨,.¨.¨¨.¨
,,,¨,..... .....,¨,,,
,¨¨,...¨~= 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 @¶$*^-~,¨¨
¨,^»/^%@## clearing where you at first can spot ##@%^/»^,¨
¨-~^§£¶### the house, not yet really in the ###¶£§^~-¨
.,~«=†£### backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ###£†=«~,.
..,~-\%@## radio (now dented) but also a small ##@%\-~,..
..,..~†*%# clay figure i've never seen before. it #%*†~..,..
.¨,¨,.»†%¤ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¤%†».,¨,¨.
,,,.,,,-^= and i must've picked it up with my =^-,,,.,,,
..,,.¨,,~/ other belongings. /~,,¨.,,..
.¨¨¨.¨,.,~ ~,.,¨.¨¨¨.
,,¨,.¨,,,^ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ^,,,¨.,¨,,
.¨,¨¨..¨¨¨ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¨¨¨..¨¨,¨.
,¨¨.¨..¨,. roughly seven centimeters long. it's .,¨..¨.¨¨,
,.¨,¨..¨¨, freshly made, not yet completely dried. ,¨¨..¨,¨.,
¨,¨..¨,.., ,..,¨..¨,¨
,,,.¨¨,..¨ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¨..,¨¨.,,,
¨.¨.,,¨¨¨, particle board for it to dry on, but ,¨¨¨,,.¨.¨
,,,.¨¨..-= she is worried and wants me to =-..¨¨.,,,
.¨...,¨:== throw it away. ==:¨,...¨.
,.¨.,,~~:* *:~~,,.¨.,
¨,.¨.~~;*£ £*;~~.¨.,¨
,¨.¨:=*=$£ £$=*=:¨.¨,
.¨,,=*$§#@ @#§$*=,,¨.
,,,=;†$#@# #@#$†;=,,,
¨,~^%¤¶@## ##@¶¤%^~,¨