~,¨¨.,.,,¨ ¨,,.,.¨¨,~
†~,.¨,¨,,¨ ¨,,¨,¨.,~†
$=~,..¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨..,~=$
$%*~^.¨.,¨ ¨,.¨.^~*%$
#§§†»:¨.¨. .¨.¨:»†§§#
@&£=\=,,.¨ 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. ¨,,¨..:»=†
/»,,....., ,.....,,»/
=:¨.¨,,,,¨ ¨,,,,¨.¨:=
~,¨.,.¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨.,.¨,~
¨,,,.,.,¨. .¨,.,.,,,¨
¨.¨.,¨¨¨,¨ ¨,¨¨¨,.¨.¨
...,,.,¨,. .,¨,.,,...