~.,¨.,.,,¨ ¨,,.,.¨,.~
¨..,,¨¨¨., ,.¨¨¨,,..¨
,¨¨¨¨.,¨.¨ ¨.¨,.¨¨¨¨,
.¨,,,.,,¨. .¨,,.,,,¨.
^¨,,,.,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,.,,,¨^
=,..,¨.,¨. 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. ¨.~*§@§£##
##&%%;~.,, ,,.~;%%&##
¶£$*\-~,.¨ ¨.,~-\*$£¶
&§†:«,,,,. .,,,,«:†§&
&%\«,¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨,«\%&
%*~,¨,¨.¨, ,¨.¨,¨,~*%
=-,¨,,,¨¨, ,¨¨,,,¨,-=