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