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