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