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