%;-,,,¨,,. .,,¨,,,-;%
$†;»-.,¨,. .,¨,.-»;†$
@$^*=,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,=*^$@
@&£%=-:..¨ ¨..:-=%£&@
##§%*:»,,, ,,,»:*%§##
##@§$^†~^, statuette ,^~†^$§@##
#¶@@§=»,,. .,,»=§@@¶#
@&§$:=~,,. $§%&§&§%£§¤*%$¤&=-~»~~~»£££%§&&£$*¤£§*@% .,,~=:$§&@
@¤^/~~,.,¨ $££$%¤$§& ¨,.,~~/^¤@
£††~^,¨.¨. .¨.¨,^~††£
**-,.¨.,,¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨,,.¨.,-**
=~:¨.,,¨,, pine arcades that were planted and ,,¨,,.¨:~=
~,¨.¨,,¨,, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,,¨,,¨.¨,~
:¨,.,,,¨., underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,.¨,,,.,¨:
~~¨,¨,.¨.¨ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¨.¨.,¨,¨~~
=~^,,,.¨.. already soaked up all the sun. ..¨.,,,^~=
*†«,¨,,,¨. .¨,,,¨,«†*
&$\~~,,,.¨ 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. ¨.,,--\%%&
%^†=,,.¨,. .,¨.,,=†^%
$*«-,¨,,., ,.,,¨,-«*$
=~-.¨.¨.., ,..¨.¨.-~=
~,,,.¨¨,,. .,,¨¨.,,,~
~¨..¨.¨.,. .,.¨.¨..¨~
--¨,¨,..., ,...,¨,¨--