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