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