..¨.,¨...¨ ¨...¨,.¨..
¨,¨..¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨..¨,¨
.¨,¨..¨,¨, ,¨,¨..¨,¨.
.¨,,,¨¨.,¨ ¨,.¨¨,,,¨.
»^¨¨¨¨¨... ...¨¨¨¨¨^»
\-:,..,¨., 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 ,,-~/§§¤#@
#@¶§£$^»,, she is worried and wants me to ,,»^$£§¶@#
##§£$/~^.¨ throw it away. ¨.^~/$£§##
¶§$$†».,¨¨ ¨¨,.»†$$§¶
&$§:=,,.,, ,,.,,=:§$&
£†=~^.,¨,. .,¨,.^~=†£
$^~-¨..¨¨. .¨¨..¨-~^$
:«~.,,¨.,. .,.¨,,.~«:
=^,.,¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨,.,^=