^¨¨.¨..¨,. .,¨..¨.¨¨^
«^¨,,.,.., ,..,.,,¨^«
=«~¨.¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨.¨~«=
**=~¨,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,¨~=**
**^~,.¨,,¨ ¨,,¨.,~^**
#%*;--..¨¨ 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. ...,,..,¨.
-,,..,¨.., ,..¨,..,,-
=~~¨,.,¨¨. .¨¨,.,¨~~=
**»:,,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,,:»**
%$:»,.,.,. .,.,.,»:$%
@%†\«^,¨¨, ,¨¨,^«\†%@
#¤&$:-^.¨, ,¨.^-:$&¤#