#£££*\~..¨ ¨..~\*£££#
##@£§$\~:¨ ¨:~\$§£@##
@#£&*;~-¨. .¨-~;*&£#@
#£$=^~~..¨ ¨..~~^=$£#
¤*§/=,,¨¨, ,¨¨,,=/§*¤
&^/«:¨,¨.¨ statuette ¨.¨,¨:«/^&
^*«,,¨.,,. .,,.¨,,«*^
;«:.,..¨.. £%$%£§$§**§$@@@*~==»~~»«§$@&&$§$$*%@¤£§% ..¨..,.:«;
~~..,..... £$££¤*$*$ .....,..~~
,¨¨..,.,¨¨ ¨¨,.,..¨¨,
.¨..,,,¨.. forests around my childhood home. thick ..¨,,,..¨.
,...,,,,., pine arcades that were planted and ,.,,,,...,
=^.¨,¨,.,, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,,.,¨,¨.^=
†~-¨¨..,,¨ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¨,,..¨¨-~†
§:-,,,¨,., is dark and moist, the canopy having ,.,¨,,,-:§
*^==~¨.,,, already soaked up all the sun. ,,,.¨~==^*
£*%^«-..,¨ ¨,..-«^%*£
@#£**-.¨,, there's a river passing by, from east ,,¨.-**£#@
@¶§$†=-,.¨ to west, getting broader and deeper and ¨.,-=†$§¶@
###@%*=-,¨ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¨,-=*%@###
@¶#£†=~-.¨ where the pine hands start to let ¨.-~=†£#¶@
#£%*†~,¨¨, through light, horsemint on the rocky ,¨¨,~†*%£#
&@=*~^,.,. river bed. .,.,^~*=@&
$*/-~,.,.¨ ¨.,.,~-/*$
§/»,.¨¨,¨. : .¨,¨¨.,»/§
;~~¨,,,..¨ ¨..,,,¨~~;
~:..¨.¨,., the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ,.,¨.¨..:~
,...¨¨..¨, they had been a swampworld with sylvan ,¨..¨¨...,
.,¨,¨¨¨,.¨ water, stone rings and floating moss. ¨.,¨¨¨,¨,.
,¨¨¨¨¨.¨¨¨ you could've found me wallowing around ¨¨¨.¨¨¨¨¨,
=~,.¨.,¨., on the southern shores until i got ,.¨,.¨.,~=
/-~.,¨.¨,¨ bitten. ¨,¨.¨,.~-/
*:~,¨¨,..¨ ¨..,¨¨,~:*
£*/=^.¨,,, but now i'm further back, on solid ,,,¨.^=/*£
¤$*\~-,... ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ...,-~\*$¤
£@£*\=:¨¨. orange tin radio and a translucent .¨¨:=\*£@£
@£¤%=*~,,. umbrella which i'm sitting on. .,,~*=%¤£@
##¶&*$*»~¨ ¨~»*$*&¶##
##¤&**=:.¨ / ¨.:=**&¤##
#@£$/~,¨.. ..¨,~/$£@#
&¤^/»-¨.., somethings moving in the grass. it's ,..¨-»/^¤&
$$:»~,.,¨, invisible to my eyes but i can feel ,¨,.,~»:$$
=;~,¨,,¨.. through the ground just how large it is. ..¨,,¨,~;=
:=-,,,.¨¨, ,¨¨.,,,-=:
~..¨..,,., the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ,.,,..¨..~
,..¨..,.,¨ to get up, still looking at the ¨,.,..¨..,
,¨¨¨,,,.,¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨,.,,,¨¨¨,
~,...¨,¨¨. hands, who are busy putting things in .¨¨,¨...,~
«^¨..,¨,.. my pockets. ..,¨,..¨^«
=»,,¨,¨,,, ,,,¨,¨,,»=
==«.¨,,.,, then i run east toward my home. ,,.,,¨.«==
$%^~,.¨.,. .,.¨.,~^%$
#@%:~:..¨¨ : ¨¨..:~:%@#
##£%=»-,¨¨ ¨¨,-»=%£##
###@%:~,¨, i am not followed, and slow down in the ,¨,~:%@###
#@£&@^/~,, clearing where you at first can spot ,,~/^@&£@#
@@#§*;~:¨, the house, not yet really in the ,¨:~;*§#@@
£#%=^-^.., backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ,..^-^=%#£
#**/~-¨.¨, radio (now dented) but also a small ,¨.¨-~/**#
$=;-^,¨.,, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,,.¨,^-;=$
*\«^¨...,¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨,...¨^«\*
*«,¨,,,... and i must've picked it up with my ...,,,¨,«*
».¨.¨.,,¨, other belongings. ,¨,,.¨.¨.»
,,..¨.¨.,, ,,.¨.¨..,,
,,,,,.,.¨. it's a statuette of a girl laying naked .¨.,.,,,,,
:.,¨.,,,., on her stomach, feet in the air, ,.,,,.¨,.:
»..¨.,¨,., roughly seven centimeters long. it's ,.,¨,.¨..»
;»^¨.,¨,¨¨ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ¨¨,¨,.¨^»;
*:=:,,,,¨. .¨,,,,:=:*
§$=~,..,,. my mom is here now. i ask her for some .,,..,~=$§
@@†=~,¨¨,. particle board for it to dry on, but .,¨¨,~=†@@
@@¤=/=,,¨. she is worried and wants me to .¨,,=/=¤@@
@@&£*\»^¨¨ throw it away. ¨¨^»\*£&@@
##£&§^/«:. .:«/^§&£##
#¶#£=\»~¨. .¨~»\=£#¶#
@&$^†~,¨., ,.¨,~†^$&@
¤$$^~-,,¨. .¨,,-~^$$¤
$%^-:¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨:-^%$
†*»^,¨.¨¨, ,¨¨.¨,^»*†