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