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