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