¶¤£*^~^¨¨. .¨¨^~^*£¤¶
¤$†=-~..¨, ,¨..~-=†$¤
$=/~..¨¨,, ,,¨¨..~/=$
%†«..¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨..«†%
==-,.,¨,.¨ ¨.,¨,.,-==
~,¨,¨,..,, 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. .¨¨,¨~«^†%
§†=,¨¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨¨,=†§
=«,,,,.,,, ,,,.,,,,«=
»,,.,.¨,., ,.,¨.,.,,»
*--¨¨¨..,, ,,..¨¨¨--*
=*-:.,¨,¨. .¨,¨,.:-*=
$$*~:¨¨,.. ..,¨¨:~*$$