&%%»-.¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨.-»%%&
##**~,.,.¨ ¨.,.,~**##
@£¤$^~.,¨, ,¨,.~^$¤£@
#@#@£%«-¨. .¨-«%£@#@#
#####&†=:, ,:=†&#####
###§%$»... statuette ...»$%§###
#@&&%~~¨,¨ ¨,¨~~%&&@#
£@*%-.,,., $*££$¤%%§£$&£*%$-»--~~»=@$*$£££$¤%&$$%&£ ,.,,.-%*@£
§£=~,¨,¨,¨ $§*$%$£¤£ ¨,¨,¨,~=£§
¤^~:¨¨,,,¨ ¨,,,¨¨:~^¤
=»,,.,..,, forests around my childhood home. thick ,,..,.,,»=
»,¨¨.¨.¨,¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨,¨.¨.¨¨,»
-,,,¨...¨. forgotten. wild boars roaming .¨...¨,,,-
=,,,.¨.,,, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,,,.¨.,,,=
†~,¨.¨,¨.. is dark and moist, the canopy having ..¨,¨.¨,~†
£$«,..¨¨¨¨ 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. ..,¨¨~~*&#
%§-.,¨.,., ,.,.¨,.-§%
*--¨,.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.,¨--*
-^.,,¨¨.¨. .¨.¨¨,,.^-
,¨¨¨....,, ,,....¨¨¨,
«^,..,.,., ,.,.,..,^«
*~~¨,.,,,. .,,,.,¨~~*