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