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