:,..,¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨,..,:
,,¨¨.¨¨,., ,.,¨¨.¨¨,,
.,¨¨.¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨.¨¨,.
=.,,.¨¨.., ,..¨¨.,,.=
†=..¨,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,¨..=†
$:«,¨¨.,,¨ statuette ¨,,.¨¨,«:$
%$:~:,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,:~:$%
£§%:--,,.¨ %*%£$$£@£§*%*&%%~-~-~~-«§££$£@&£%¤££§%¤% ¨.,,--:%§£
#¤@$†-:.¨. @*£$$%¤¤£ .¨.:-†$@¤#
##¤*§;«-¨, ,¨-«;§*¤##
##¶¤@%;=^, forests around my childhood home. thick ,^=;%@¤¶##
##@**=«^., pine arcades that were planted and ,.^«=**@##
¶£%$/~^.¨. 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. ¨..¨.¨¨¨,-
¨.,,,¨¨,., ,.,¨¨,,,.¨
,,¨.¨¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨¨.¨,,
=^.¨..,¨,, ,,¨,..¨.^=
:»:¨¨,..,. .,..,¨¨:»:
§†»~¨.¨.,. .,.¨.¨~»†§
%$:«~¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨~«:$%