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