¨,.:~\$$## ##$$\~:.,¨
¨¨:-:$@£## ##£@$:-:¨¨
,--=†$## ###&$†=--,
.¨--\**@## ##@**\--¨.
,.¨--=%££# #££%=--¨.,
¨¨¨,^~*§%¤ 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 §%†:~-,,,,
¨.,~==*$§@ throw it away. @§$*==~,.¨
¨.-~=*%§## ##§%*=~-.¨
.:»**£#### ####£**»:.
..-»**$#@# #@#$**»-..
¨.¨:~=%*¤@ @¤*%=~:¨.¨
¨..¨-~:*£& &£*:~-¨..¨
¨..,.^-:=% %=:-^.,..¨