$*/~-¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨-~/*$
&*§:=~,,,¨ ¨,,,~=:§*&
#¤§$\»,.¨¨ ¨¨.,»\$§¤#
#@¤&*:=^¨¨ ¨¨^=:*&¤@#
##£#%^\=,, ,,=\^%#£##
@£@$**~..¨ 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 .¨,~/†%¤¶#
@&£$†»^¨.¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨.¨^»†$£&@
§$=;»-,... she is worried and wants me to ...,-»;=$§
*$^-.¨.,,, throw it away. ,,,.¨.-^$*
=;»,..¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨..,»;=
†=.,.¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨.,.=†
«-¨.¨¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨¨.¨-«
,¨,,¨...,, ,,...¨,,¨,
»....,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,....»
:«~.¨.¨,.¨ ¨.,¨.¨.~«: