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