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