¤%*»^,¨.., ,..¨,^»*%¤
@\«-¨¨,.., ,..,¨¨-«\@
/-,,,,.¨,, ,,¨.,,,,-/
~~,¨.¨..¨. .¨..¨.¨,~~
,,..,,¨¨., ,.¨¨,,..,,
,¨,.,.,.,. 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. ,,,,,..¨,.
¨.,¨¨,¨¨., ,.¨¨,¨¨,.¨
¨...¨¨.¨.¨ ¨.¨.¨¨...¨
.¨¨..¨¨,.¨ ¨.,¨¨..¨¨.
.,..¨,¨,,. .,,¨,¨..,.
=:,¨,.¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨.,¨,:=
;~.¨¨¨,¨.. ..¨,¨¨¨.~;