#@&%†;«,,, ,,,«;†%&@#
#@£*;=~.¨¨ ¨¨.~=;*£@#
#**;~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~;**#
%=:=:..¨,. .,¨..:=:=%
*:=,.,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,.,=:*
*=.,,.,... 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. ,.¨..,¨¨,-
^..,,¨..., ,...¨,,..^
.¨,¨,.,,.¨ ¨.,,.,¨,¨.
.,,¨,.,,.¨ ¨.,,.,¨,,.
¨..¨¨,¨,,, ,,,¨,¨¨..¨
.,.¨.¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨.¨.,.
¨.,...¨¨¨. .¨¨¨...,.¨