§£%*~^,¨,. .,¨,^~*%£§
$†:=.,.,¨. .¨,.,.=:†$
†*«.¨..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..¨.«*†
;~..,¨,¨.¨ ¨.¨,¨,..~;
~,.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.,~
†»~...,.,. 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. ,.,.¨.~«;*
=~:¨..¨,.. ..,¨..¨:~=
~^¨¨¨.,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,.¨¨¨^~
\»,,,...¨. .¨...,,,»\
%/~,,,¨,¨, ,¨,¨,,,~/%
*%\=.,.,¨. .¨,.,.=\%*
§*%:-,,¨,, ,,¨,,-:%*§