%†=:¨..¨.¨ ¨.¨..¨:=†%
§†\~^.,,,¨ ¨,,,.^~\†§
£*$\-,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,-\$*£
#@£^:~.,,. .,,.~:^£@#
#@#%**«,¨¨ ¨¨,«**%#@#
####¤*^~,, statuette ,,~^*¤####
###£@%%/«, ,«/%%@£###
##@#§=*-.¨ @£%$@$£¤%¤&£%¤££«~«»~=»~%£$%$%£&£%££&%£§ ¨.-*=§#@##
###£%^«~,¨ **%£@%&@$ ¨,~«^%£###
#&¤$†~-¨,¨ ¨,¨-~†$¤&#
¤$=/»,,,¨, forests around my childhood home. thick ,¨,,,»/=$¤
&$†~:,¨.¨. pine arcades that were planted and .¨.¨,:~†$&
§\~-¨.,¨¨, 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. .¨¨¨¨¨,»;*
†~^,¨¨¨... ...¨¨¨,^~†
=,,,.,¨... ...¨,.,,,=
,.¨¨¨..¨¨, ,¨¨..¨¨¨.,
,¨,¨..,¨¨. .¨¨,..¨,¨,
:,..¨,..¨, ,¨..,¨..,:
»,,¨.¨,,,. .,,,¨.¨,,»