§£^*~,,¨¨. .¨¨,,~*^£§
$=:=^.,.,¨ ¨,.,.^=:=$
*;-~¨,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,¨~-;*
\»~,,.¨,,, ,,,¨.,,~»\
~,..,¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨,..,~
:¨¨,,¨,.,. 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. ,¨,¨.«;=£#
§$;=..,¨.¨ ¨.¨,..=;$§
^*-,¨...., ,....¨,-*^
:«,..,,.,. .,.,,..,«:
~:¨,.¨.,., ,.,.¨.,¨:~
.,¨..,.¨¨, ,¨¨.,..¨,.
,¨¨.¨.,.,¨ ¨,.,.¨.¨¨,