~^¨¨¨..¨.. ..¨..¨¨¨^~
-,¨...¨,¨, ,¨,¨...¨,-
.,..,¨¨,,. .,,¨¨,..,.
¨,¨,¨,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,¨,¨,¨
,,,¨.,,¨., ,.¨,,.¨,,,
¨¨¨.,,¨.., 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. ,¨,¨,.¨.,,
~,.,¨.¨¨,, ,,¨¨.¨,.,~
«-¨,¨..,.. ..,..¨,¨-«
†«,¨,¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨,¨,«†
$;-^¨,.,,¨ ¨,,.,¨^-;$
**†=.,¨.¨, ,¨.¨,.=†**
#&^=~~,.¨, ,¨.,~~=^&#