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