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