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