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