=:,,.,..,¨ ¨,..,.,,:=
:.,.¨¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨¨.,.:
.¨,¨,¨¨¨,. .,¨¨¨,¨,¨.
,..¨...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...¨..,
~^...,.,¨, ,¨,.,...^~
*--,.¨...¨ 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. ,,,¨,¨¨.,-
^.¨,,.¨.,, ,,.¨.,,¨.^
...¨.¨¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨¨.¨...
.,.¨,,¨,., ,.,¨,,¨.,.
~-,¨.¨¨.,¨ ¨,.¨¨.¨,-~
\»:,¨.,,,, ,,,,.¨,:»\
††».¨.,,¨, ,¨,,.¨.»††