=^..¨,¨..¨ ¨..¨,¨..^=
^¨,¨.,.,,. .,,.,.¨,¨^
,¨.,¨...¨, ,¨...¨,.¨,
^¨¨,...,.. ..,...,¨¨^
-,¨¨,..,¨. .¨,..,¨¨,-
*~^,¨.¨,¨¨ 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. .,..¨.¨,,=
~.¨,,¨¨.,, ,,.¨¨,,¨.~
.,..¨,,¨., ,.¨,,¨..,.
,¨,¨¨.¨.¨. .¨.¨.¨¨,¨,
-^.,¨,.¨¨. .¨¨.,¨,.^-
;»,¨,,.¨.¨ ¨.¨.,,¨,»;
*/«:.,¨..¨ ¨..¨,.:«/*