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