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