*~-¨¨,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,¨¨-~*
-.,,.¨,.¨, ,¨.,¨.,,.-
/~-¨¨..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..¨¨-~/
*\=.....,. .,.....=\*
&*/»,.¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨.,»/*&
£$^:«:.¨¨¨ statuette ¨¨¨.:«:^$£
£&%$†-:,,¨ ¨,,:-†$%&£
@@¤*^\=.,, &%@*§£$$$£*%¤£$$=~--«~~=*%&&%£¤*%£¤¤¤$@$ ,,.=\^*¤@@
#@#§*†:~,¨ ¤%%$*$$$* ¨,~:†*§#@#
##¤*§/«,,¨ ¨,,«/§*¤##
¶#§=\=,.¨¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨¨.,=\=§#¶
¤£$*~-¨.,, pine arcades that were planted and ,,.¨-~*$£¤
@^:-:¨¨.¨. forgotten. wild boars roaming .¨.¨¨:-:^@
†;-,¨,,,.¨ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¨.,,,¨,-;†
;~,¨,¨¨¨.. is dark and moist, the canopy having ..¨¨¨,¨,~;
«^,,.¨,¨¨¨ already soaked up all the sun. ¨¨¨,¨.,,^«
^~,.,.¨¨,. .,¨¨.,.,~^
†\=:¨...,. there's a river passing by, from east .,...¨:=\†
$$/«,,,... 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. ...,¨.,:~*
^†~,¨¨¨,.¨ ¨.,¨¨¨,~†^
¤*†~:,¨... ...¨,:~†*¤
¤$*^~..,., ,.,..~^*$¤
#§£$\»:,,, ,,,:»\$£§#
@¶£@*^-~¨. .¨~-^*@£¶@
##¶#¤=/«~. .~«/=¤#¶##