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