¨.¨.,¨-«=† †=«-¨,.¨.¨
,.,....-«; ;«-....,.,
,¨.¨¨,.,^» »^,.,¨¨.¨,
¨¨,¨.¨.,.^ ^.,.¨.¨,¨¨
...¨¨.¨¨.. ..¨¨.¨¨...
..¨...¨¨,, 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. %\»^¨¨,...
.,¨¨,..-«= =«-..,¨¨,.
,,.,.,...= =...,.,.,,
¨...,.¨.¨, ,¨.¨.,...¨
,.,,,.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.,,,.,
,¨.,..¨,,^ ^,,¨..,.¨,
,.,¨,,¨¨^~ ~^¨¨,,¨,.,