=,...¨,¨,¨ ¨,¨,¨...,=
-,..¨,.,,, ,,,.,¨..,-
,¨.¨¨¨..,. .,..¨¨¨.¨,
¨¨,..,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,..,¨¨
¨,¨,¨¨.,.. ..,.¨¨,¨,¨
,.,¨,,.... 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. ,¨.¨¨,.,.,
,¨.¨,¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨,¨.¨,
~:¨,,.¨,.¨ ¨.,¨.,,¨:~
:»:.¨¨.¨,, ,,¨.¨¨.:»:
††=:.,,,., ,.,,,.:=††
§==»,..¨¨, ,¨¨..,»==§
¤%§\=:,,¨, ,¨,,:=\§%¤