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