~,,.,.,.,¨ ¨,.,.,.,,~
~~.,.,¨.,, ,,.¨,.,.~~
^=,¨.,.¨.. ..¨.,.¨,=^
£=~,,,,,,. .,,,,,,~=£
£$=~-¨.¨., ,.¨.¨-~=$£
@@§*~-,,.. 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. ,,.,..¨.¨¨
.¨..¨.,..¨ ¨..,.¨..¨.
.¨,,.,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,.,,¨.
.,¨,¨.,¨.. ..¨,.¨,¨,.
,,.,,,.... ....,,,.,,
,¨¨,¨,,..¨ ¨..,,¨,¨¨,
:¨¨.¨,..¨, ,¨..,¨.¨¨: